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British life : An intermediate level English resource.

Charles III - Britain's new King

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   Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8th 2022, after 70 years on the British
throne. She has been succeeded by her eldest son Charles. The man who, until
September 2022 was "Prince Charles" is now King Charles III

   8th September 2022. This text has been rewritten to take account of the death of Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.  

Very few people alive in Britain today remember the time when Britain last had a king. Elizabeth II
was Queen of England for 70 years, from 1952 to 2022, so only the very oldest people remember
the last king, her father George VI.
    Queen Elizabeth has marked life and times in Britain for the past seven decades, and since her
death, Britain has entered a new period of history. The Second Elizabethan age is over.
   For millions of people in Britain, and in other countries too, the death of the Queen has been like
losing a  grandmother, since the Queen was part of national life, part of the national family, and a
very popular figure. Opinion polls in 2020 showed that over 80% of people in Britain appreciated the
Queen.
    There has been a moment of national trauma following her death; the Queen was not just "a
royal", she was the Queen,  a person whose image people see every day, and will continue to see
for some time, on coins, on banknotes, on stamps, in magazines, in public places.
 

King Charles III

 While Charles is not unpopular, he is less appreciated than his mother the Queen, and less popular
than his son Prince William.  
  Charles was born in 1948,  and has spent his life in the shadow of the Queen. He has the image of
a gentleman farmer, and is still actively involved in the agricultural life of his estates. Like his father,
the Duke of Edinburgh, who was president of the WWF, Charles is very concerned about the
environment and the natural world, and his farms are known for their organic produce. Indeed,
Charles's farms became organic in 1985, long before the organic boom of recent years, and  "Duchy
Organic", set up by Charles, is one of the biggest brands of organic foods in the UK, sold in the
Waitrose supermarkets.
  Charles has also spent a lot of time trying to help underprivileged youth in Britain's inner cities.
His "Prince's Trust" is a charity that has
helped thousands of kids from poor parts
of Britain's cities to get good training and
good jobs. He has also been active on
the world stage, and in 2020 he
encouraged world leaders at the Davos
summit "to reset capitalism", in order to
prevent the worst effects of climate
change. As a prince, he could say and do
what he wanted; as Head of State, he will
have to be more neutral.  That may be
difficult for him.
    How long will Charles be king? Not as
long as his mother, that is sure. He came
to the throne at the age of 73, an age
when most people are thinking more
about retirement than taking up a big and
important job. If he lives as long as his
mother, he will remain king for over 20
years, longer than most heads of state..
   If he is a good king, then one day he
will probably be succeeded by his elder
son William. Few people  want Britain to
become a republic. A poll in 2012
showed that 80% of people in Britain
wanted the monarchy to continue, with
only 13% wanting a republic. Perhaps
this is understandable; in Britain, as in
many other countries, politicians are not
particularly popular these days! God save
the King !
 

WORD GUIDE
poll: a study of what people think - 
decade:  period of (about) ten years -
Prince Charles - now King Charles - often accompanied or
trauma: shocked sadness - a royal*: a
replaced the Queen on official duties, some formal, others less
member of the Royal Family -  elder, formal
eldest: older, oldest * -  legendary:
mythical, invented -   heir: successor, person who comes next -  estate: domain, large farm -
concerned: worried, anxious -   produce: things that are made or produced - set up: established,
created - brands: commercial names - underprivileged: people who do not have much money or
much opportunity -  prevent: stop - eventually: in the end, one day - remain: continue to be - carry
out: do, perform .

* Vocabulary notes: elder, eldest. These are comparative and superlative forms of old. There is no
such word as eld. Elder and eldest imply relative age, not absolute oldness, and are only used of
 people. So a two-
year-old could be an
elder child.
A royal.  The
adjective royal has
been used as a noun
in popular English
since the late 20th century. It is very
common in the media, since the
alternative, a member of the Royal
Family, is rather long.

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William has now become the new Prince of Wales - the historic
title of the heir to the throne
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Student Worksheet

Britain's new king?

1. Questions from answers.

 Here are six answers: write the questions, using the prompts indicated. Each of your questions
must have at least seven words.

    1. For how long  

   Seventy years.

    2. Who  

   King George VI.

    3. Why 

   Because she was like a national grandmother.

    4. Where 

   In certain supermarkets.

    5. Do 

   No, they don't.

    6. Are  

   No they are not.

2. Verb forms and tenses

Put the verbs into the correct tense or form, using the prompts given in brackets.
In some cases you will need to add an auxiliary (helper) verb and /or a modal verb. In some cases
there may be a choice of answer, specially where modal verbs are used.

Charles (also spend)  a lot of time (try)    to help

underprivileged youth in Britain's inner cities. His "Prince's Trust" is a charity that (help)
thousands of kids from poor parts of Britain's cities (get)   
good training and good jobs. He (also be)   active on the world stage, and in
 2020 he (encourage)    world leaders at the Davos summit (reset)  "
capitalism", in order (prevent)   the worst effects of climate
change. As a prince, he (say)  and do what he (want)  ; as
Head of State, he (be)    more neutral.  That (be)  difficult
for him.
    How long (Charles be)  king? Not as long as his mother, that is sure. He
(come)   to the throne at the age of 73, an age when most people (think) 
more about retirement than (take)  up a big and important
job. If he (live)  as long as his mother, he (remain)   king
for over 20 years, longer than most heads of state..

For teachers
Free expression.  Have students  say something about the Queen.

Notes:
Titles in the monarchy (regnal names). Charles III is pronounced "Charles the third"

And if you were wondering.......

King or king ?  The generally accepted rule is that as a title, the word King is spelt with a capital K;
as a job it spelt with a small k. The same is true for Queen or queen, etc.

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